Surgery May Be Pivotal for the Chargers’ Brees

The San Diego Chargers’ decision on Drew Brees’ future became much cloudier Monday when the quarterback said he needed surgery for a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

Brees dislocated his right shoulder in a home loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday, and an MRI exam on Sunday revealed the torn cartilage.

The fifth-year pro plans to travel today to Birmingham, Ala., to get a second opinion from orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, and would like to have surgery this week.

“Obviously I’d like to get this thing operated on as soon as possible,” Brees said. “We’re all very optimistic. The doctors are very optimistic, saying that this is something that they’ve seen before, done before. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Brees expects to go through a four-month rehabilitation, which means he should be ready for minicamp.

Before Brees throws another pass, though, the Chargers must decide whether to give him a long-term deal or again give him their “franchise” tag, which would keep him around for one more year at close to $10 million. The deadline for designating franchise players is Feb. 23.

General Manager A.J. Smith didn’t return calls for the second day in a row.

Asked whether it’s more or less likely that the Chargers will give him the long-term deal he wants, Brees said, “I think it’s the same situation. In my mind, I feel like I’m going to come back better than ever after this deal. I wouldn’t even call it a setback. It’s an opportunity for me to just get going a little bit earlier than expected, rehabbing and working out, and making sure when I come back I’m better than I was when I went in.”

After Brees led them to a 12-4 record and the AFC West title in 2004, the Chargers made him their “franchise” player, retaining him for one year at $8 million.

Backup quarterback Philip Rivers, who has played sparingly in two seasons, has four years left on his contract. The Chargers say they have the room under the salary cap to keep Brees and Rivers again next year.

“Who knows what’s going to happen?” Brees said. “And I don’t. I just worry about the things I can control, and right now it’s taking care of this thing. But I truly believe I’m going to get better and better every year.”

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Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback Byron Leftwich is expected to return to the starting lineup for Saturday’s playoff game at New England after sitting out six weeks because of a broken left ankle.

“l’ll be ready to play,” Leftwich said after being held out of Sunday’s 40-13 victory over Tennessee. “Heck, I was ready to play [against the Titans].”

Coach Jack Del Rio agreed, saying Leftwich would start barring a setback in practice this week. Leftwich broke his ankle in the first quarter Nov. 27 at Arizona. David Garrard has started the last five games.

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Cornerback Shawn Springs’ groin injury is the biggest injury concern for the Washington heading into Saturday’s playoff game against Tampa Bay, the Redskins’ first since 1999.

Springs aggravated the injury in the first half of Sunday’s 31-20 victory over Philadelphia. He had an MRI exam Monday, but team officials weren’t expecting the results until today.

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The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers will flip a coin to determine who gets the sixth pick in the NFL draft and who gets the seventh.

The complete order for the April 29-30 draft was announced Monday, with Houston at No. 1, presumably with the rights to Reggie Bush, the USC running back expected to declare his availability after Wednesday’s Rose Bowl. New Orleans will choose second.

After the Saints comes a group of 4-12 teams: Tennessee, the New York Jets and Green Bay.

The NFL originally announced that the 49er-Raider coin flip had been held. However, a later announcement said it would not be held until after the Super Bowl.

After the seventh spot, the rest of the order among non-playoff teams is Buffalo, Detroit, Arizona, St. Louis, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Minnesota, Dallas, San Diego and Kansas City.

The order among the playoff teams is subject to change, depending on how teams do in the postseason.

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Minnesota rookie punter Chris Kluwe will have reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. The former UCLA player, who finished sixth in the NFL and second in the NFC with a 44.1-yard gross average, was injured Dec. 4 against the Detroit Lions.

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Tom Heckert was promoted to general manager by the Philadelphia Eagles, ending speculation that he would leave for Minnesota.

Heckert joined the Eagles as director of player personnel in 2001. The Eagles didn’t have an official general manager, but Reid handled those duties.